Discount website deals disappoint

Thousands of diners who signed up for a meals or hampers offered through an online site have been given refunds after the suppliers went bust

D
eal or no deal? No deal, say consumers who signed up to discount websites to buy cheap restaurant meals and food hampers then discovered they could not use their money-off vouchers because the businesses had closed or refused to honour the deals.

At least 870 diners bought €14 vouchers on Groupon CityDeal in March for a meal deal worth €50 that included two pizzas, salad and a bottle of wine at Don Mimi in Monkstown, Dublin. The pizzeria went bust and CityDeal has now had to offer refunds to consumers who bought vouchers for the restaurant.

Some of the 834 people who spent €32 on a two-course rotisserie meal for two with wine at Le Café des Irlandais in South Great George’s Street, also found the restaurant had shut down when they tried to book. CityDeal said the voucher would be honoured instead at the Harbourmaster restaurant at the International